The audit report said Mayor Jeff Scott sent the employees to property owned by his son, Hunter Scott. The employees first thought that they were to locate water meters on the property but upon arriving, were also told to remove tree stumps, do landscaping work and digging, and help prepare and pour the house's foundation, according to the comptroller's report.

During the three days they worked at the site, the employees used a backhoe, dump truck, trailer and two other vehicles owned by the town. The mayor oversaw some of their work, the report said.

Scott later told the employees not to fill out their department time sheets for the time they spent at the site because they would be paid by a private contractor. The contractor, a friend of the mayor's, later told investigators from the comptroller's office that he didn't have a contracting license and was acting as a helper.

The contractor paid for the employees' time and paid the town $200 for use of the backhoe. But three local companies interviewed by investigators said a backhoe would typically rent for $240 to $312 per day. Auditors were unable to calculate how much of the town's fuel was used at the job site due to a lack of adequate recordkeeping.

Auditors concluded that the use of the employees and town-owned equipment was an apparent abuse of the mayor's power and created potential liability issues for the town.

The report recommended that the town's board of mayor and aldermen calculate all costs funded by the town on the construction project and seek reimbursement from the mayor, his son or the contractor.

The audit was forwarded to District Attorney General Michael Dunavant, who said Thursday he's reviewing it. "There may be a need for further follow-up investigation by an independent law enforcement agency to determine whether and to what extent these audit findings lead to or rise to the level of chargeable criminal offenses under applicable Tennessee law."

In the mayor's formal response to auditors, included in the audit, Scott said, "In retrospect, it has become evident that errors have been made by the Town of Brighton regarding the personal use of town owned equipment and the allowance of employees to seek outside employment without written permission from the mayor. While no one purposefully set out to misuse their authority, the town agrees that a policy regarding the use/lease of equipment should be established and adopted by the mayor and Board of Aldermen."

Scott also said he notified the town's financial officer before the employees went to the work site that they were not to be paid by the city for the time spent there, other than locating the water meters. "At no time did the mayor intend for the employees to work on the private property while on the clock for the Town of Brighton outside of locating water and sewer meters," it said.

The audit report also found that one member of the board of aldermen had used the town's backhoe at his home on two occasions and that public works employees and equipment were used to spread asphalt on private property owned by another local resident. Investigators recommended that the town also calculate those costs and seek reimbursement from the property owners.

"It is unacceptable for officials to use public resources for the exclusive benefit of private individuals," Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said. "People pay taxes and fees with the expectation that money will be fairly distributed to provide services to all citizens, not just a select few who happen to know somebody at city hall. I commend our investigators for their fine work in bringing these issues to light."